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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809018">Just Breathe, Peter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/petertheparkerpus_mjmonogram/pseuds/petertheparkerpus_mjmonogram'>petertheparkerpus_mjmonogram</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Michelle Jones, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Michelle Jones Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene, Protective Michelle Jones, m - Freeform, they make me cry a lot okay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:27:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,693</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809018</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/petertheparkerpus_mjmonogram/pseuds/petertheparkerpus_mjmonogram</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the reveal</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Michelle Jones/Peter Parker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just Breathe, Peter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>wow comfort is so- jesus i cant 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The moment Peter’s secret identity was revealed to the world, the minds of every single person who knew beforehand started going into overdrive, no one more so than Peter. His first thoughts immediately landed on the safety of the people he cared about: Aunt May, MJ, Ned, and Happy. He’s taken down quite a few criminals who would be more than happy to threaten the lives of the ones he cares about just so the thorn on their sides would be gotten rid of.</p>
<p>Peter immediately does a rundown of the whereabouts of every single person he cared about, and MJ was right down below him just a few feet away. MJ was still staring at the screen when Peter jumps down from the post he was hanging onto and just grabs her with no warning, in case anyone got any ideas of trying to attack her.</p>
<p>“Whoa, Peter, what are you doing?”</p>
<p>“I’ve gotta get you somewhere safe, MJ, there’s too many eyes around here and people know you’re close to Spider-man now.”</p>
<p>“Wait, Peter!”</p>
<p>Peter consequently proceeded to web-swing away to the nearest safe place that he could; a well hidden alley that no one was currently occupying at the moment. One and two thwips away from the square, and Peter and MJ were gone.</p>
<p>They land at the alley, and Peter gives himself some space from MJ to make sure she’s okay.</p>
<p>“MJ, are you okay? I am so sorry I web-swinged you without your permission.”</p>
<p>Peter runs his eyes all over MJ and then to the alley’s openings to check if they were followed.</p>
<p>“I just couldn’t risk anyone trying to attack you and-”</p>
<p>Peter was still checking all the exits when MJ shakes him to get him to face her.</p>
<p>“Peter, it’s fine. I’m fine.”</p>
<p>The last bit of agency Peter had left had just been taken away from him by a villain they thought was out of their lives forever and he still manages to think of the people he cares about first. The kindness that radiates from this boy is one of a kind. MJ only wished she could offer the same comfort for him right now. She’ll just have to try her best, she guesses, it’s what Peter deserved.</p>
<p>“I should be asking how you’re doing. Are <em>you</em> okay?”</p>
<p>After Peter’s made sure MJ was safe, he still had to make sure the others were as well. And like a ball, it’s when everything suddenly drops, and the consequences of what just happened finally dawns on him.</p>
<p>“I- I- I can’t-” Peter says, prying himself away from MJ.</p>
<p>Peter suddenly finds himself breathless, his legs are all wonky, and he has to hold himself by his knees just so he can remain upright.</p>
<p>“Oh my God, Peter!”</p>
<p>MJ rushes to Peter’s side, holding him up by his arms, but he resists and steps away.</p>
<p>“I- I have to make sure Aunt May’s safe, MJ,” Peter is barely able to say.</p>
<p>Peter didn’t even know where May was yet and even though some rational part of his mind is saying that it’s unlikely anyone could have gotten to her this quick, the shock of it all just made it too hard to focus on anything other than the fact that he doesn’t know where his loved ones are right now, and he doesn’t know if they’re okay.</p>
<p>“Peter, you can’t save May in the condition you’re in right now. You could do more harm than good.”</p>
<p>MJ didn’t want to say it, but she had to tell Peter the harsh truth. And it worked; MJ’s blunt words stopped Peter in his tracks. MJ knew Peter’s heart was in the right place, it’s just his mind that wasn’t.</p>
<p>“I just- I can’t I can’t lose anyone again because of me.”</p>
<p>Peter turns around and MJ sees tears have started to form in his eyes.</p>
<p>“I thought- I thought Beck was gone, MJ. I thought-”</p>
<p>And Peter loses it. He drops down on his knees and the tears start flowing faster. He’s finding it even harder to breathe. MJ gets down on the ground right in front of him and just hugs him as tight as she can.</p>
<p>MJ knows it isn’t much but if she can provide a sense of comfort in the chaos that is his life now, shield him from the unbearable weight of his problems for even just a few minutes, MJ’s gonna fucking do it.</p>
<p>“I thought he was gone, MJ,” Peter mumbles onto her shoulder as he continues to cry.</p>
<p>“He did this just to <em>hurt</em> me.”</p>
<p>Peter doesn’t say it to MJ, maybe because he’s too busy trying to breathe and keep himself from falling apart, but Peter hated himself right now. He should have known better than to think he’d actually genuinely get a true win for once in his life.</p>
<p>“I- I don’t know what’s going to happen to my life now, MJ. He- he ruined it. I don’t think I can-”</p>
<p>Peter isn’t able to finish his sentence. He doesn’t think he can be with his family anymore, because it might be too dangerous for them. He doesn’t think he can lose any more of the people he loves. He just doesn’t think he can do… anything, anything to help himself right now. Beck stole from Peter the only thing he had left, the one thing he had that let him have some semblance of a normal life. So much was going thru his mind that he found himself unable to stop crying even just for a minute to explain why he was reacting the way he is.</p>
<p>As MJ hugs Peter, she’s finding herself in a state she only seems to find herself in when she’s with him, she’s out of words. She is in no way prepared to handle any of this. Peter losing his secret identity was like a bombshell that had dropped in on their Saturday morning date. But MJ knows, there was no point in having both of them freak out right now, so she summoned all the courage she had into trying to stay steady, calm, and collected. Peter had already lost so much, and now he lost his identity too. She had to be a rock; she had to be Peter’s rock.</p>
<p>“Peter,” MJ finally manages to say as she burrows her head onto his shoulder and caresses his back, his nape, and runs her hand thru his hair.</p>
<p>“I know you have a lot going through your mind right now. <em>I’m</em> still trying to process it all myself.”</p>
<p>MJ pulls away from the hug but only just so Peter can hear her words properly. She looks him in the eyes and says</p>
<p>“But right now, it’s just us, okay? Beck isn’t here, all the criminals of New York aren’t here; it’s just <em>you</em> <em>and me</em> in this alley right now.</p>
<p>“Peter and MJ and no one else,” says MJ as she goes back to hug him tight as she can once again.</p>
<p>“Just <em>breathe</em>, Peter.”</p>
<p>“Your world has just been shook to its core. You get to take a moment to process what just happened and grieve before you start dealing with it all.”</p>
<p>Little by little, the raggedness of Peter’s breathing starts to slow down. He’s still trembling but as he breathes in and out, in and out, it starts to get steadier. Peter nods and does exactly what MJ says. He closes his eyes and just focuses on getting his breathing back to normal.</p>
<p>MJ is still caressing him, and before he knows it, Peter’s beginning to get this feeling of warmth and comfort wash over him as more and more time passes in their tight embrace.</p>
<p>And Peter asks, desperate for reassurance, voice shaky from fear, mouth muffled by MJ’s shoulder, puffy red eyes still closed and his fisted hands currently covering the rest of his face.</p>
<p>“Just you and me?”</p>
<p>Their lives had just been changed forever. But none of that mattered in the moment. Right now, the rest of the world didn’t exist, and it was just Peter and MJ.</p>
<p>MJ replies with a smile as she wipes away the few tears that managed to escape.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Peter, just you and me.”</p>
<p>They weren’t even talking anymore, and they were still on the ground of some random New York alley but MJ wouldn’t dare move away from the hug. She would be more than happy to wait as long as it took for Peter to get a grip on himself, feel better, and get back to the optimistic, kind, and intelligent boy she fell in love with.</p>
<p>MJ suddenly feels Peter moving away from the hug, his breath isn’t as ragged anymore, and his voice is no longer shaky, but you can feel the sense that Peter is just so tired and worn out now.</p>
<p>Peter looks MJ in the eyes, his own still red and puffy and says “Thanks, MJ” with a sad smile.</p>
<p>MJ merely wipes off some of the tears left on Peter’s face and says “Anytime, Peter”</p>
<p>Peter stands up and so does MJ.</p>
<p>“Are you sure you’re okay?” asks MJ caressing Peter’s hand.</p>
<p>“I am now,” Peter looks MJ in the face, “really.”</p>
<p>“Okay, so what are we going to do, Peter?”</p>
<p>“I need to get to Aunt May.”</p>
<p>“Then let’s go already” says MJ already hanging onto Peter’s shoulders.</p>
<p>Just a few moments ago, MJ told him she was never going to web-swing again, but here she was now ready to propel herself across rooftops with him just to help him.</p>
<p>“Okay, let’s go,” Peter says with a smile, before putting his mask back on, holding onto MJ tight, and shooting a web onto the nearest roof as he and MJ propel up to the air and Peter thanks his lucky stars that he’s with MJ.</p>
<p>He truly doesn’t know what he would’ve done without her. Yeah, he’s pretty sure he doesn’t just “really like” MJ, he loves her and he’ll do anything to make sure that she and the other people he loves are safe, no matter what.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>mj is a smart protective babey and i love her sm. im not at all ashamed to shout it out loud TOT TOT T-T</p></blockquote></div></div>
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